Mark 10:17-31, Psalm 90:12-17, and Hebrews 4:12-16
Today is Thanksgiving Sunday. It is a time to think about the efforts and fruits of this year and gratitude. On the other hand, it is a precious time to meet family living apart. It has been a month since I became a Red Deerian. For the first time, I purchased winter tires and a freezer. A church member gave me a lawn mower, so I used it. Now that I have a lawn mower, I purchased and assembled an outdoor shed to store it. I could continue to buy something and enjoy the brief joy and gratitude that came from it. So, looking at this year beyond the past month, I spent this year re-entering school to change my status, starting work at church, and seeking God’s guidance, just as I always did my homework. Sometimes, I was frustrated and sometimes happy, so I now live with great gratitude.
Since last Wednesday, I have been visiting the homes of our church members with the elders. I am very grateful that this pastoral visit allowed me to better understand and pray for you. Since I have divided the pastoral district with the four elders, I plan to visit you by next month. It is a great pleasure to share my grateful story and your family’s prayer requests with you. I am very thankful I could confirm why God called us to Knox church rather than live a life of faith alone.
The story in Mark today is a very famous episode. A wealthy young man asks Jesus what he must do to obtain eternal life. He is very confident in himself. Like a student who expects praise and asks questions, he says, “I kept this commandment well, and I did well that teaching.” Looking at him, Jesus begins speaking in verse 21 by saying that he loves him. “One thing you lack. Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” Of course, Mark didn’t record how he became rich. However, in the story in Luke 18, parallel to this content, we can see that “he was a ruler, and he was very wealthy.” What kind of person would a rich official be under colonial rule? Looking at the experience of Korea, which had a similar colonial experience, it is highly likely that they worked faithfully for the interests of the ruling country. And there is a high possibility that he was harsh towards his compatriots. The Bible specifically pointed out and recorded a Tex collector among these people. But the question was what he valued most within him. He probably valued wealth more than eternal life. In the eyes of Jesus, the most critical value in a rich man’s life was to increase his wealth, so he sold all of it, shared it with the poor, and ordered him to overcome that greed. These words were not what Jesus commanded everyone he met. Of course, there were times when He called His disciples who were fishermen and told them to give up their jobs and follow Him to become His disciples. However, there has never been an extreme order to sell everything, as in the case of this rich man. Why did Jesus do so? The answer is in verse 21: “Because Jesus loved him.” Jesus knew that man had to go beyond materialism to possess the treasure in heaven that lies beyond it. Jesus wanted the rich man’s entire life to change. He asked him to look beyond keeping the law and commandments to the values that God wants. Jesus wanted him to worship God before money. Jesus asked him to love his neighbor before money. Money is a tool. Money is a tool. Jesus tells the rich man to use his money to serve his neighbors with love.
We love Christ. We know how to possess eternal life. We see the kingdom of God. We know that happiness and gratitude through material things do not last long. The duration of happiness, joy, unhappiness, and sadness varies depending on psychologists’ analysis, but Harvard University professor Daniel Gilbert estimates it to be around three months. Philip Brickman and Donald Campbell published the Hedonic treadmill theory long ago and determined that the period could last up to 6 months. There are big and small events for which we are grateful daily. What is important is our lives that do not lose sight of that gratitude. And it’s about continually remembering what’s most important.
I hope that we will not be the rich who lost Jesus because of the wealth they had, but we will be those who hold on to Jesus the Great High Priest. So, as in Hebrews chapter 4 verse 16, “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
A life of walking with the Lord is beautiful as we ask the Lord for the grace to help us in our time of need. So, the way they seek the Lord’s grace and help is very religious. Like the prayer of Moses in Psalm 90, “14 Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. 15 Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, for as many years as we have seen trouble.”
May all your days be filled with joy and gratitude because of the Lord’s unfailing love. I hope that through God’s wisdom, you will see great graces that the rich man could not see and live in the glory of the Lord.
Grace beyond materialism. Yes, that’s right. We are Christians. Amen.